Water tank with uniform-cross-section spiral storage channels



J. SCHMIT Dec. 9, 1969 Filed Feb. 11. 196e Josef Schm INVENToR.

ttorney AUnited States Patent O T 3,482,599 WATER TANK WITH UNIFORM-CROSS-SECTION SPIRAL STORAGE CHANNELS Josef Schmit, Eisenstadt, Austria Filed Feb. 11, 1966, Ser. No. 526,846 Claims priority, application Austria, Feb. 15, 1965, A 1,298/ 65 Int. Cl. F17d 1/00; E041) 1/32 U.S. Cl. 137-590 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a water-tank for water supply plants, wherein water is supplied to the tank by inflow pipes and withdrawn from the tank by outflow pipes.

Earlier containers of this kind, with a four-cornered or circular horizontal plant, or configuration had the serious disadvantage that continuous exchange or replacement of the contents was not guaranteed. On the contrary, as a result of the difference in temperature between incoming water and that already present in the tank, the water freshly added is removed earliest, whereas a portion may remain in the tank for a very long time. Though efforts have already been made to eliminate this disadvantage by baffles, often uncontrollable flow at the bottom of the tank is caused by these walls so that here, too, a portion of the water is not withdrawn for a long time.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate these disadvantages of conventional tanks. This object is achieved by forming the tank so that conducting walls arranged as a spiral pipe are provided, the pairs of adjacent conducting walls forming a canal, preferably of the same cross-section, connecting the inow and outflow pipes.

In accordance with this invention, water may liow through the tank in one sense of rotation at a time only, whereby, as practice has shown, the continuous exchange or replacement of the whole tank capacity is ensured.

The spiral conducting walls according to the invention are formed as load-bearing walls. When the outside walls only are load-bearing walls, the entire load of the empty tank must be taken up by the border foundations and a cover or roof with a large span is necessary. Owning to the great expanse of the bottom or floor of the tank between theload-bearing walls, the bottom cannot be concreted in a single operation and leakage from the tank always results in spite of the considerable consumption of material.

According to the invention, it becomes possible to distribute the load over the entire cross-section so that a relatively thin bed plate suices, thereby allowing a considerable saving in reinforcing bars and concrete, the tank, moreover, being tight. Furthermore, roof span is reduced so that pre-fabricated covers, which may be placed with essentially higher speed, can be used. The walls, which need take up relatively small loads, are constructed by the Torcret system which involves applying high-grade concrete in a single shell. Concrete injected by the Torcret (pneumatic gunite) system does not need any finishing and is suiiiciently water-tight.

Patented Dec. 9, 1969 l CC By way of example, an embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings is described more fully below; in the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows a horizontal plan view (roof removed) of a tank according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line II-II of FIG. 1.

According to FIG. l, the tank has spiral walls 1, assembled by quadrants. The spiral is thus formed with a iirst quadrant with a radius R1 drawn With a predetermined radial distance d between two turns of the wall 1, followed by the second quadrant with a larger radius R2, both quadrants having a common tangent at the point `in which they join. The third quadrant R3 and the fourth quadrant R4 follow in the same manner. The next turn of the first quadrant R5 has a radius of Rl-l-d, the radius R6 of the second turn of the second quadrant being equal to R2-i-d. The other two radii are also enlarged by d relative to the third and four radii, R3 and R4 whereas each radius of the following four quadrants is larger by 2d than the first four arcs.

In the example according to the drawing, the tank as a whole consists of two spiral chambers, i.e., the inner chamber 2 and the outer chamber 3. Both chambers are formed by a dividing wall 4, dividing the whole spiral into two parts. An outlet chamber 5 joined to the dividing wall 4 is connected with the inner chamber 2 by a conduit 6 and with the outer chamber 3 by a conduit 7. The conduits 6, 7 extend into a valve chamber 8, located at the end of the spiral and may be blocked alternatively by valves 9, 10, respectively, disposed in this chamber. Water is withdrawn from the chamber 5 by a conduit 11.

The water is supplied by a conduit 12 divided into two branches 13 and 14, branch 13 feeding the inner chamber 2, branch 14 the outer chamber 3. The conduits 13, 14 may be blocked by valves 15 and 16, an overill of both chambers being prevented by valves 17 and 18 controlled by floats.

FIG. 2 illustrates that feeding of the outer chamber 3 may be realized through an upper inlet 19 as well aS through a lower inlet 20. The inlet 19 may be blocked by a valve 2l, the inlet 20 by a valve 22. The possibility of double feeding has the advantage that in summer, the incoming water, which is colder than that within the tank capacity, may be supplied through the upper inlet 19 so that this cooler water moves downwardly during circulation in the tank; in winter, the warmer water iS supplied through the lower inlet 20 and rises during circulation. Therefore, a mixing up of the tank capacity is also ensured in vertical direction.

As may be seen from the drawing, the distance (d) between the individual load-bearing walls 1 is relatively small so that it is possible to concrete the bottom from wall to wall in a single operation. Shrinkage gaps extending through the total construction are closed by concrete using the Torcret system when the concrete has set. Tightness of the tank is thus essentially increased. Moreover, a stagnation of the tank capacity is efficiently avoided as the water circulates only in one direction. Of

' course, this circulation of water is not only attained with the embodiment shown, but also with other spiral ernbodiments of the conducting walls, e.g., concentric annuli.

I claim:

1. A water tank comprising a generally horizontal base, spiral wall means upstanding from said base and defining therewith at least one spiral channel extending over a plurality of turns and of uniform horizontal width, inlet means for delivering water to said channel at one end thereof, and outlet means for withdrawing water from said channel at the other end thereof, said inlet means including an upper inlet and a lower inlet opening into said channel at said one end thereof, and means for selectively operating said inlets to deliver Cold water t0 said channel at said upper inlet and warm water to sait. channel at said lower inlet.

2. A Water tank comprising a generally horizontal base, spiral wall means upstanding from said base and defining therewith at least one spiral channel extending over a plurality of turns and of uniform horizontal width, inlet means for delivering water to said channel at one end thereof, and outlet means for withdrawing water from said channel at the other end thereof, said tank is being provided witha roof, said wallme'an's including a single load-supporting vertical wall extending in a plurality of spiroidal turns spaced apart by a constant horizontal distance and supporting said roof.

3. The water tank delined in claim 2 wherein said inlet means includes an upper inlet and a lower inlet opening into said channel at said one end thereof, and means for selectively operating said inlets to deliver cold water to said channel at said upper inlet and warm water to said channel at said lower inlet.

4. The water tank defined in claim 2 wherein said base and said wall means are composed of concrete.

5. The water tank defined in claim 2, further comprising partition means extending across said channel and sub-dividing same into a plurality of individually generally spiral channel sections, said inlet means and said outlet means communicating with said sections to induce water ow therein over substantially equal distances in opposite senses.

6. The water tank defined in claim 5 wherein said inlet ,4 means includes an upper inlet and a lower inlet at one end of one of said sections and means for selectively operating said inlets for delivery of relatively warm water to said one of said sections-at said lower inlet and relatively cool water to said one of said sections at Said upper inlet.

7. The water tank defined in claim 6, further comprising lioat-controlled valve means in each of said sections connected with said inlet means for controlling the influx of water thereto.

8. The water tank defined in claim 5 wherein said outlet means includes a chamber along said partition means,` conduit means connecting each of said Sections -with said chamber, and valve means in each of said conduit means for selectively discharging water from said sections into said chamber.

References Cited UNITED vSTATES PATENTS M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner WILLIAM R. CLINE, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

